Search Results (2,233)

Ujimqin sheep, known for its distinctive multi-vertebrae phenotypes (T13L7, T14L6, and T14L7) and economic value, has garnered significant attention. However, conventional phenotypic detection methods suffer from low efficiency and high costs. In this study, based on a key SNP locus (ABCD4 gene, Chr7:89393414, C > T) identified through a genome-wide association study (GWAS), a TaqMan-MGB (minor groove binder) genotyping system was developed. the objective was to establish a high-throughput and efficient molecular marker-assisted selection (MAS) tool. Specific primers and dual fluorescent probes were designed to optimize the reaction system. Standard plasmids were adopted to validate genotyping accuracy. A total of 152 Ujimqin sheep were subjected to TaqMan-MGB genotyping, digital radiography (DR) imaging, and Sanger sequencing. the results showed complete concordance between TaqMan-MGB and Sanger sequencing, with an overall agreement rate of 83.6% with DR imaging. For individuals with T/T genotypes (127/139), the detection accuracy reached 91.4%. This method demonstrated high specificity, simplicity, and cost-efficiency, significantly reducing the time and financial burden associated with traditional imaging-based approaches. the findings indicate that the TaqMan-MGB technique can accurately identify the T/T genotype at the SNP site and its strong association with the multi-vertebrae phenotypes, offering an effective and reliable tool for molecular breeding of Ujimqin sheep. Full article

In boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), the intracellular localization and concentration of boron-10 atoms significantly influence therapeutic efficacy. Although various boronic-acid-targeted fluorescent probes have been developed to evaluate BNCT agents, most of these probes emit at short wavelengths and are, therefore, incompatible with common nuclear-staining reagents such as Hoechst 33342 and 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). While our previously reported probe, BS-631, emitted fluorescence above 500 nm, it exhibited limitations in terms of reaction rate and fluorescence intensity. To address these issues, we developed a boronic-acid-targeted fluorescent probe with a longer emission wavelength, rapid reactivity, and strong fluorescence intensity. Herein, we designed and synthesized BTTQ, a probe based on a 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole core structure. BTTQ exhibited immediate fluorescence upon reaction with 4-borono-L-phenylalanine (BPA), with an emission wavelength of 567 nm and a sufficiently high fluorescence quantum yield for detection. BTTQ quantitatively detected BPA with high sensitivity (quantification limit of 10.27 µM), suitable for evaluating BNCT agents. In addition, BTTQ exhibited selective fluorescence for BPA over metal cations. Importantly, BTTQ enabled fluorescence microscopic imaging of intracellular BPA distribution in living cells co-stained with Hoechst 33342. These results suggest that BTTQ is a promising fluorescent probe for the evaluation of future BNCT agents. Full article

pH is a critical parameter requiring precise monitoring across scientific, industrial, and biological domains. Fluorescent pH probes offer a powerful alternative to traditional methods (e.g., electrodes, indicators), overcoming limitations in miniaturization, long-term stability, and electromagnetic interference. By utilizing photophysical mechanisms—including intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), photoinduced electron transfer (PET), and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)—these probes enable high-sensitivity, reusable, and biocompatible sensing. This review systematically details recent advances, categorizing probes by operational pH range: strongly acidic (0–3), weakly acidic (3–7), strongly alkaline (>12), weakly alkaline (7–11), near-neutral (6–8), and wide-dynamic range. Innovations such as ratiometric detection, organelle-specific targeting (lysosomes, mitochondria), smartphone colorimetry, and dual-analyte response (e.g., pH + Al³⁺/CN⁻) are highlighted. Applications span real-time cellular imaging (HeLa cells, zebrafish, mice), food quality assessment, environmental monitoring, and industrial diagnostics (e.g., concrete pH). Persistent challenges include extreme-pH sensing (notably alkalinity), photobleaching, dye leakage, and environmental resilience. Future research should prioritize broadening functional pH ranges, enhancing probe stability, and developing wide-range sensing strategies to advance deployment in commercial and industrial online monitoring platforms. Full article

Originally introduced in the 1960s by DISA Elektronik as a calibration tunnel for hot-wire anemometers, the Type 55D41 has now been reengineered into a versatile and modern aerodynamic test platform. While retaining key legacy components, such as the converging nozzle and the 55D42 power unit, the upgraded system features a redesigned modular test section with optical-grade quartz windows. This enhancement enables compatibility with advanced flow diagnostics and visualization methods, including PTV, DIC, and schlieren imaging. The modernized facility maintains the precision and flow stability that made the original design widely respected, while expanding its functionality to meet the demands of contemporary experimental research. Its architecture supports the aerodynamic characterization of micro-scale static pressure probes used in aerospace, propulsion, and micro gas turbine applications. Special attention is given to assessing the influence of probe tip geometry (e.g., conical, ogive), port positioning, and stem interference on measurement accuracy. Full article

Color is a primary determinant of the value of jadeite jade, but the petrological provenance of the chromogenic elements of jadeite jade remains uncertain. The characteristics of the associated chromite in Myanmar jadeite jade were systematically investigated through a series of tests, including polarized microscopy, microarea X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (micro-XRF) mapping, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and backscattered electron (BSE) imaging. The results demonstrate that the chromite composition in Myanmar jadeite jade is characterized by a high concentration of Cr₂O₃ (46.18–67.11 wt.%), along with a notable abundance of MnO (1.68–9.13 wt.%) compared with the chromite from the adjacent Myitkyina peridotite. The diffusion of chromium (Cr) and manganese (Mn) in jadeite jade is accomplished by accompanying the metamorphic pathway of Mn-rich chromite → kosmochlor → chromian jadeite → jadeite. In the subsequent phase of jadeite jade formation, the chromium-rich omphacite veins generated by the fluid enriched in Ca and Mg along the fissures of kosmochlor and chromian jadeite play a role in the physical diffusion of Cr and Mn. The emergence of the lavender hue in jadeite is contingent upon the presence of a relatively high concentration of Mn (approximately 100–1000 ppmw) and the simultaneous absence of Cr, which would otherwise serve as a more effective chromophore (no Cr or up to a dozen ppmw). The distinctive Mn-rich chromite represents the primary origin of the chromogenic element Cr (green) and, perhaps more notably, an overlooked provider of Mn (lavender) in Myanmar jadeite jade. Full article

Background/Objectives: Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) is overexpressed in breast cancer and might be used as a theranostics target. The expression of GRPR strongly correlates with estrogen receptor (ER) expression. Visualization of GRPR-expressing breast tumors might help to select the optimal treatment. Developing GRPR-specific probes for SPECT would permit imaging-guided therapy in regions with restricted access to PET facilities. In this first-in-human study, we evaluated the safety, biodistribution, and dosimetry of the [^99mTc]Tc-DB8 GRPR-antagonistic peptide. We also addressed the important issue of finding the optimal injected peptide mass. Methods: Fifteen female patients with ER-positive primary breast cancer were enrolled and divided into three cohorts receiving [^99mTc]Tc-DB8 (corresponding to three distinct doses of 40, 80, or 120 µg DB8) comprising five patients each. Additionally, four patients with ER-negative primary tumors were injected with 80 µg [^99mTc]Tc-DB8. The injected activity was 360 ± 70 MBq. Planar scintigraphy was performed after 2, 4, 6, and 24 h, and SPECT/CT scans followed planar imaging 2, 4, and 6 h after injection. Results: No adverse events were associated with [^99mTc]Tc-DB8 injections. The effective dose was 0.009–0.014 mSv/MBq. Primary tumors and all known lymph node metastases were visualized irrespective of injected peptide mass. The highest uptake in the ER-positive tumors was 2 h after injection of [^99mTc]Tc-DB8 at a 80 µg DB8 dose (SUV_max 5.3 ± 1.2). Injection of [^99mTc]Tc-DB8 with 80 µg DB8 provided significantly (p < 0.01) higher uptake in primary ER-positive breast cancer lesions than injection with 40 µg DB8 (SUV_max 2.0 ± 0.3) or 120 µg (SUV_max 3.2 ± 1.4). Tumor-to-contralateral breast ratio after injection of 80 μg was also significantly (p < 0.01, ANOVA test) higher than ratios after injection of other peptide masses. The uptake in ER-negative lesions was significantly lower (SUV_max 2.0 ± 0.3) than in ER-positive tumors. Conclusions: Imaging using [^99mTc]Tc-DB8 is safe, tolerable, and associated with low absorbed doses. The tumor uptake is dependent on the injected peptide mass. The injection of an optimal mass (80 µg) provides the highest uptake in ER-positive tumors. At optimal dosing, the uptake was significantly higher in ER-positive than in ER-negative lesions. Full article

(1) Background: Sertoli–Leydig cell tumors (SLCTs) are rare ovarian neoplasms that account for less than 0.5% of all ovarian tumors. They usually affect young women and often present with androgenic symptoms. We report a unique case of a 40-year-old woman diagnosed with both SLCT and clear cell papillary renal cell carcinoma (CCP-RCC), a rare tumor association with unclear pathogenesis. (2) Methods: Both tumors were treated surgically. The diagnostic workup included hormonal testing, imaging studies, and extensive genetic testing, including DICER1 mutation analysis and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA), as well as the examination of a next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel covering ~280 cancer-related genes. (3) Results: Histopathologic examination confirmed a well-differentiated SLCT and CCP-RCC. No pathogenic variants in DICER1 were identified by WES or MLPA. No clinically relevant changes were found in the extended NGS panel either, so a known hereditary predisposition could be ruled out. The synchronous occurrence of both tumors without genomic alterations could indicate a sporadic event or as yet unidentified mechanisms. (4) Conclusions: This case highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in the management of rare tumor compounds. The exclusion of DICER1 mutations and the absence of genetic findings adds new evidence to the limited literature and underscores the importance of long-term surveillance and further research into potential shared oncogenic pathways. Full article

Objectives: This pilot study evaluates the correlation between periodontal pocket depth (PPD) measurements obtained by manual probing and those derived from an AI-coupled ultrasound imaging device in periodontitis patients. Materials and Methods: Thirteen patients with periodontitis underwent ultrasonic probing with an AI engine for automated PPD measurements, followed by routine manual probing. Results: A total of 2088 manual and 1987 AI-based PPD measurements were collected. The mean PPD was 4.2 mm (range: 2–8 mm) for manual probing and 4.5 mm (range: 2–9 mm) for AI-based ultrasound, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.68 (95% CI: 0.62–0.73). Discrepancies were noted in cases with inflammation or calculus. AI struggled to differentiate pocket depths in complex clinical scenarios. Discussion: Ultrasound imaging offers non-invasive, real-time visualization of periodontal structures, but AI accuracy requires further training to address image artifacts and clinical variability. Conclusions: The ultrasound device shows promise for non-invasive periodontal diagnostics but is not yet a direct alternative to manual probing. Further AI optimization and validation are needed. Clinical Relevance: This technology could enhance patient comfort and enable frequent monitoring, pending improvements in AI reliability. Full article

γ-Glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) is overexpressed in a variety of diseases, making it an important diagnostic criterion for diseases. Herein, a new fluorescence probe based on naphthalimide (Glu-MDA) was developed and employed for the rapid detection of GGT in tumor cells or samples. Alkynylated naphthalimide is the fluorescent core for excellent fluorescence response. The covalent bridging of self-immolative short linkers reduces the steric hindrance between probes and enzyme cleavage sites, which leads to improved enzymatic reaction kinetics. Glu-MDA shows a rapid response and excellent selectivity with a detection limit of 0.044 U/L. This allows the efficient detection of GGT levels in solution and cells. Simultaneously, the construction of Glu-MDA pre-stained test strips provided an innovative strategy for the qualitative detection of GGT activity, helping to detect GGT faster, more portably, and cost-effectively in various scenarios. Full article

Background: As part of different navigational bronchoscopy (NVB) modalities, radial-probe endobronchial ultrasound (rEBUS) is used to confirm the peribronchial localization of peripheral pulmonary nodules (PPNs) immediately before collecting samples for histopathological analysis. Methods: This retrospective case series study presents the results of en bloc cryobiopsy of PPNs using a flexible 1.1-mm cryoprobe with different NVB modalities. For PPNs classified as adjacent or eccentric lesions by rEBUS (ES-rEBUS), the cryoprobe’s position was adjusted by 90–180° in relation to the ultrasound image of the lesion during the first and second biopsies. Results: All patients with a final histopathologically confirmed diagnosis of PPNs had positive rEBUS findings, regardless of the navigation modality, eccentric (18/42 patients, 43%) and concentric (24/42 patients, 57%) rEBUS view. In 5 out of 6 patients without a histopathological diagnosis, PPNs were not visualized by radial ultrasound. In the (ES-rEBUS) group of patients, 4 out of 18 had fewer than three biopsy samples collected per procedure, which means only an adjusted probe position has been applied, although diagnostic outcomes were achieved. Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) grade 2 complications were reported in 10.4% of the patients, and grade 3 complications in 2% of the patients. Conclusions: Confirming the localization of nodules by rEBUS and properly adjusting the cryoprobe immediately before cryobiopsy of PPNs resulted in a diagnostic yield meeting the literature standards. Full article

Compressive sensing (CS) is capable of resolving high frequencies from subsampled data. However, it is challenging to apply CS in non-periodic flow fields with multiple frequencies. This study introduces a novel data fusion CS approach aimed at reconstructing temporally resolved flow fields from subsampled particle image velocimetry (PIV) data, integrating constraints derived from a limited number of high-frequency pointwise measurements. The approach combines measurements from particle image velocimetry (PIV), which have high spatial resolution but low temporal resolution, and a few pointwise probes, which have high temporal resolution but low spatial resolution. In the proposed method, proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is conducted first to the PIV data, thus acquiring spatial modes and low-temporally resolved coefficients. To reconstruct the non-periodic and multiple-frequency coefficients from the PIV data, the traditional CS yields strong high-frequency noise. In this regard, the coefficients obtained from the pointwise measurements using least square (LS) regression can serve as a reciprocal space to suppress the high-frequency noise in the CS reconstruction. Using relaxation factors, the results from LS regression apply the upper and lower boundaries for the CS. By fusing the pointwise measurement and PIV data, the reconstruction performance can be significantly improved. To verify the performance, non-periodic and multiple frequency flow fields in the wake of two cylinders with different diameters are used. Compared to the ground truth, CS and LS reconstruction give an error of about 7% and 13%, respectively. On the other hand, the data fusion CS only has an error of about 2%. The dependency of this method on the number of pointwise probes is also examined. Full article

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a malignant tumor of the gastrointestinal tract, characterized by high mortality rates and responsible for about one million new cases each year globally. Surgery is the main treatment, but achieving radical resection remains a relevant intraoperative challenge. Fluorescence-guided surgery offers clinicians greater capabilities for real-time detection of tumor nodules and visualization of tumor margins. In this field, the main challenge remains the development of fluorescent dyes that can selectively target tumor tissues. Methods: we examined the expression of the most suitable GC markers, including carcinoembryonic antigen cell adhesion molecule-5 (CEACAM5) and Claudin-4 (CLDN4), in GC cell lines. To further evaluate their expression, we performed immunohistochemistry (IHC) on tumor and healthy tissue samples from 30 GC patients who underwent partial gastrectomy at the Digestive System Surgery Unit, AOU Careggi, Florence. Additionally, we validated anti-CEACAM5 expression on patient-derived organoids. Furthermore, we developed a fluorescent molecule targeting CEACAM5 on the surface of GC cells and assessed its binding properties on patient tissue slices and fragments. Results: in this work, we first identified CEACAM5 as an optimal GC biomarker, and then we developed a fluorescent antibody specific for CEACAM5. We also evaluated its binding specificity for GC cell lines and patient-derived tumor tissue, achieving an optimal ability to discriminate tumor tissue from healthy mucosa. Conclusions: Overall, our results support the development of our fluorescent antibody as a promising tumor-specific imaging agent that, after further in vivo validation, could improve the accuracy of complete tumor resection. Full article

Ultra-high dose rate radiotherapy known as Flash radiotherapy (FLASH-RT) offers tremendous opportunities to improve the therapeutic ratio of radiotherapy by sparing the normal tissue while maintaining similar tumoricidal efficacy. However, the underlying biophysical basis of the FLASH effect remains under active investigation with several proposed mechanisms involving oxygen depletion, altered free-radical chemistry, and differential biological responses. This article provides an overview of available experimental and computational tools that can be utilized to probe the tumor and normal tissue microenvironment. We analyze in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo systems used to study FLASH responses. We describe various computational and imaging technologies that can potentially aid in understanding the biophysics of FLASH-RT and lead to safer clinical translational. Full article

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), once regarded solely as a highly toxic gas, is now recognized as a crucial signaling molecule in plants, bacteria, and mammals. In humans, H₂S signaling plays a role in numerous physiological and pathological processes, including vasodilation, neuromodulation, and cytoprotection. To exploit its biological functions and therapeutic potential, a wide range of H₂S-releasing compounds, known as H₂S donors, have been developed. These donors are designed to release H₂S under physiological conditions in a controlled manner. Among them, self-reporting H₂S donors are seen as a particularly innovative class, combining therapeutic delivery with real-time fluorescence-based detection. This dual functionality enables spatiotemporal monitoring of H₂S release in biological environments, eliminating the need for additional sensors or probes that could disrupt cellular homeostasis. This review summarizes recent advancements in self-reporting H₂S donor systems, organizing them based on their activation triggers, such as specific bioanalytes, enzymes, or external stimuli like light. The discussion covers their design strategies, performance in biological applications, and therapeutic potential. Key challenges are also highlighted, including the need for precise control of H₂S release kinetics, accurate signal quantification, and improved biocompatibility. With continued refinement, self-reporting H₂S donors offer great promise for creating multifunctional platforms that seamlessly integrate diagnostic imaging with therapeutic H₂S delivery. Full article

The fibrillary aggregation of α-synuclein is a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and a potential target for diagnostics and therapeutics. Although substantial effort has been devoted to the development of positron emission tomography (PET) probes for detecting α-synuclein aggregates, no clinically suitable tracer has been reported. The design and synthesis of 43 new N-(6-methoxypyridin-3-yl)quinolin-2-amine derivatives and an evaluation of their α-synuclein binding affinity is reported here. Compounds 7f, 7j, and 8i exhibited high affinity for α-synuclein and were selected for ¹¹C, ¹⁸F, ¹²⁵I, or ³H radiolabeling. A photoaffinity variant, TZ-CLX, structurally related to 7j and 8i, demonstrated preferential binding to the C-terminal region of α-synuclein fibrils. PET brain imaging studies using [¹¹C]7f, [¹⁸F]7j, and [¹¹C]8i in non-human primates indicated that these three α-synuclein PET tracers penetrated the blood–brain barrier. Both [¹¹C]7f and [¹⁸F]7j showed more favorable brain washout pharmacokinetics than [¹¹C]8i. In vitro binding assays showed that [¹²⁵I]8i is a very potent α-synuclein radioligand, with K_d values of 5 nM for both PD brain tissues and LBD-amplified fibrils; it is also selective for PD tissues versus AD or control tissues. These results strongly suggest that the PET probes based on the N-(6-methoxypyridin-3-yl)quinoline-2-amine scaffold have potential utility in detecting α-synuclein aggregates in vivo. Full article